A Glitch
by thirdorigin
Summary: One: tell her that you want to be with her. Two: she jumps on you with a bone-crushing hug. Three: you live happily ever after. A simple plan, right? It should work. Only that it didn't.
1. Chapter 1

**A Glitch**

"Juvia, I want to be with you."

"Sorry, what did you say, Gray-sama?" She really tried to focus on the conversation, but her brain just wasn't in it - obviously Gray-sama must have said something else than what she heard.

He licked his lips. "I said I wanted to be with you."

Juvia shook her head, feeling more and more ashamed. "Um, Juvia is sorry, but... Could you repeat once more?"

Gray-sama sighed with irritation. "Am I not speaking loud enough or - "

"No, no, it's just... Juvia cannot focus properly..."

"I said," he grasped her arms and squeezed them, and for some reason his hands seemed to be slightly shaking. She raised her head to look in his eyes. "I wanted to be with you."

Juvia hid her face in her hands. "Juvia is so sorry," she moaned. "Juvia really wants to hear what Gray-sama has to say, but she is unable to."

"Listen, if you don't want it, you can just say normally." He looked sideways, crossing his arms on his chest.

"No!" Juvia raised her hands in protest. Did she offend him? "It's not that Juvia doesn't want to, she _really _doesn't know what this is about... She listens, but her mind produces nonsense instead of Gray-sama's words."

"Like, what nonsense?"

She felt her face getting very warm. "Ah... Um..." She fixed her eyes on Gray-sama's boots, somehow still staying on his feet today. "Juvia would rather not say."

"You're not going to make this any easier for me, do you."

"Juvia would love to, whatever it is, but... She is sorry."

He sighed deeply. "Okay," he said. "Let's try another way. I will write it down for you, maybe it would be easier to comprehend."

He produced a notebook and a pen, scribbled something and gave her the sheet.

Juvia took a deep breath, praying for her sanity to come back and spare her more embarrassment, and risked a look.

_I said I wanted to be with you._

She blinked, shut her eyes tight, silently counted to three and opened her eyes again.

_I said I wanted to be with you._

Juvia bit her lip, looking through the window for a moment, then she glanced at Gray-sama, turned away from him and read once more:

_I said I wanted to be with you._

She groaned in irritation.

"Juvia is hopeless today..." She turned back to him and smiled apologetically. "She still cannot get it. She is so sorry..."

He stared at her for a moment, and she had a hard time interpreting his expression. It was disappointed and irritated, yes, but then, there seemed to be something warm in it still, and something unsure.

"It's okay," he looked away from her and massaged his shoulder. "It's not like it's a very pressing matter or anything."

"No?"

"No, it can wait all right," his deep dark eyes met hers, and they didn't seem to be condemning. Such was his kindness, even for someone like her. "Maybe you just sleep with it, and you can look at the paper again in the morning."

"Yes," Juvia felt a little bit better. "It might help."

He nodded. "So, you will tell me how it went tomorrow," he said. "See ya."

Walking back to the dorm, she looked at the paper under each streetlight – her head should cool down a bit now that Gray-sama wasn't in her vicinity – but it was still saying the same.

_I said I wanted to be with you._

"No, no, no, no," Juvia told it. "Please show Juvia what is really there."

She looked at it just before lying down to sleep, squinting at the letters, but they didn't even tried to change shape.

She took a hairpin and traced the lines with it:

_I _

_said _

_I_

_wanted_

_to_

_be_

_with_

_you._

Just how delusional her mind has became?

She growled in frustration and stuck Gray-sama's note under the pillow.

* * *

><p>Next morning, she rose and stretched and went to make herself a coffee, and only then she risked pulling the paper out. She looked at it suspiciously: on one hand, she liked what it seemed to be saying; on the other, she needed to get the truth out of it, otherwise she would irritate her Gray-sama again.<p>

She sat with it on the window sill, as the light was the best there, took a minute to calm herself, and carefully opened the note. Then she looked down.

And looked again -

And again.

_I said I wanted to be with you._

_I said I wanted to be with you._

_I said I wanted to be with you._

Juvia put a fist in her mouth to muffle a frustrated scream.

But then... She read it so many times now, and it was the same what she had heard yesterday. So there was this slight possibility that it was - it was - what was _really _written there.

_I said I wanted to be with you._

What if Gray-sama really wanted to be with Juvia... to go places with her... to hug her... to hold her hand, to kiss her, and other... other things...

To love her, and have a life with her, and a wedding, and a house, and five children, or six, or ten, or twenty three, and grandchildren, and then she would die in his arms on a bed full of flowers...

"No!" She clutched her stupid head. It wasn't truth. So many times she had thought things like that, and she had been only making a fool of herself because of it, and embarrassing him. Nothing good could come out of those delusions.

She had to do something with it.

After quickly putting some clothes on, she ran straight to Porlyusica's house.

"Porlyusica-san!" she knocked on the door.

"What again?" The older woman opened it rapidly. "Didn't I tell you people not to bother me in this month?"

"Yes... Juvia is sorry, but..."

"Goodbye," Porlyusica made a move as to close the door, but Juvia managed to sneak her foot in there.

"But something is wrong with Juvia! She is getting crazy!"

"Now that's a surprise, isn't it?"

"Juvia's eyes don't work properly! And ears!"

"Yes, I've noticed about ears already." Porlyusica looked at her doubtfully – and also as if she were regarding some exceptionally appalling bug. Then she sighed. "So what's wrong with your eyes?" She said with resignation.

"Juvia cannot read what's written here," she produced Gray-sama's note from her pocket. "She sees different words than the ones that are there."

"Yes..." Porlyusica gave the paper a long look. "So what do you think it says?"

"Um..." She felt ashamed of herself again. "All the time Juvia looks at it, it says _I said I wanted to be with you._"

"I see," Porlyusica's eyes drilled holes in her. "And what is it supposed to say?"

"Juvia doesn't know," she looked at the other woman hopefully. "Maybe Porlyusica-san could tell Juvia what it says? She would be so grateful - "

"It says the same as you see."

"What?" Juvia must have misheard again.

"_I said I wanted to be with you."_

"Gyah!" Juvia hid her face in her hands. "Something is really wrong with Juvia! She cannot hear the words even if Porlyusica-san is saying them..."

"Okay, listen, girl," the woman touched her arm and she looked up, only to squirm under her cold look. "Here is your note. Carrots are good for eyes." Her face looked as inviting as glass of sour milk. "And as of what your real problem is, I'm not this kind of doctor," she mumbled before shutting the doors.

Juvia blinked at them a few times.

"Carrots," she repeated, turning to go back to the guild.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! If you can, leave me a review. <em>

_Check out on Friday to see if Gray will manage to sort this mess -_o_


	2. Chapter 2

Gray didn't feel so well about the whole thing.

He had been thinking about it for weeks – first, if it really was a good idea, then, how the hell was he supposed to do it, and finally, gathering up his courage to do so. And then he even managed to keep most of his clothes on for the whole day - that's how serious he was about it.

And he expected some reward for all his hard work, right? For her to be happy, at the very least. He expected she would smile and maybe cry a little, jump at him and throw him to the ground, hopefully not breaking his ribs but not quite being far from it, say some silly and wildly exaggerated things and such. And if she wanted to make out on the spot, well, he would probably oppose just a little.

What he did not expect in any way, shape or form, was the blank look and utter inability to process his words. He knew that she was easily distraught, but one would think that when he was finally to give her what she had wanted so much, she should be able to focus at least a bit, right?

Hopefully, she have been studying his note all the night and the morning, so when he goes inside the guild, he's gonna be surely thrown to the ground with the force of ocean, or something.

So he sneaked inside cautiously and making sure no child or animal is currently standing beside his back. Then he quickly found a nice, solid wall to support himself and waited.

_One, two, three._

_Nothing?_

He looked around the guildhall, to see Juvia sitting at the table and waving shyly at him.

Well, okay. It wasn't exactly the level of enthusiasm he expected, but at least his bones were guaranteed to live on. He shrugged and went to greet her.

"Hey, Juvia," he said, as casually as he could, even though for some reason his heart was trying to go out through his throat.

"Hello, Gray-sama," she said, smiling in her usual way, even if a little more bashful.

He looked at her for a second, waiting for some kind of reaction, but when she just looked back, he started to feel rather stupid. Shaking his head, he simply sat beside her. Should he ask her about it, or..?

"What do you eat?" he asked instead. _And isn't it a clever thing to say? Good job, Gray._

Juvia glanced around the things stuffed on the table. "So, there is this carrot bread," she said, "With carrot butter and crunchy carrot slices, then carrot soup with a carrot toast, a carrot muffin covered with carrot custard, carrot pancakes with carrot jam, carrot shake, carrot juice, carrot cocktail, oh, and a carrot." She took a breath. "Does Gray-sama want some?"

That was rather weird. "That's a lot of carrots, isn't it..."

"Juvia heard that carrots are good for eyes."

"And why would you need it?" He tilted his head to gave her a closer look, and she seemed to pale a bit.

"J-Juvia still... She still cannot read your note, Gray-sama..." She hung her head.

"Ah." So that was it - he was still in a square one, all work and no play. "But, you can read other things, right?" He picked up a new issue of a Weekly Sorcerer from the nearby shelf and opened it on a random page. "Here, read this," he said.

"Uhmm..." Juvia squinted at the magazine. "_Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia has been chosen by the public vote for The Most Desired Boyfriend of the month - "_

"What? There truly must be something wrong with your eyes." Gray snatched the newspaper away from her and read it himself. "Oh... It's really written here. Unbelievable!" He gasped. "What do they see in him?"

"Well, Lyon-sama is quite hands - "

"Don't!" he said quickly. "It was a rhetorical question," he explained. "Anyway, your eyes seem to be okay."

"You're right," Juvia's face lightened up. "Maybe the carrots worked!" She quickly pulled his note from her pocket and stared at it, but then her shoulders slumped and she put it back. "No..." she said, all the energy gone."Juvia still cannot read Gray-sama's note... She is just seeing some other words."

"How come? What do they say?" _Is that a game she tries to play with me?_ She didn't seem to be the one for games, though. Should he got worried about her then?

"They are nonsense... Juvia would rather not say."

He sent her a doubtful look.

She glanced at him, her eyes big and gleaming."Please don't laugh, Gray-sama, but Juvia sometimes see things that don't exist," she whispered conspiratorially, leaning towards him. "Like..." She looked left and right, as if checking something, then moved closer to him and spoke even quieter. "Once, she saw Lucy and Natsu-san making out, and..." She licked her lips. "Gajeel-kun and Levy-san kissing."

_Lucky bastards. _"And they weren't really?"

She shook her head. "When Juvia looked again, they were just talking casually."

He frowned at her. "Does it happen to you a lot?" What if she was ill? He heard about some brain bugs that -

"No, mostly when Juvia is... thinking about... um..." She hung her head and got all red. "No, nothing... It's nothing." She looked up to him and smiled weakly. "It doesn't happen often. Don't worry, Gray-sama."

"It's okay," he said, though it wasn't, really. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just give up so easily after all this hard thinking he had performed. Maybe different choice of words would help? But there were too many fearsome beings around, such as Happy and Mira.

"Come," he said, raising up and giving her a hand.

He led her out of the guild and to a tiny bridge over the river, where he knew not much people would be passing.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his stupidly racing heart. "It was that I wanted us to become a couple," he said.

His words just washed over her like before, though. She stared at him with round eyes, and then looked down to the water, shoulders hunched. "Juvia still doesn't know what Gray-sama says," she admitted.

Gray cursed inwardly. "But we talked normally before." Why was she only not hearing certain things? "Let me conduct an experiment."

She nodded hesitantly, and he leaned against the bridge's balustrade, studying her face. "Juvia, your eyes are like the fairest stars in all the heaven," he recited from some stupid play that Erza had made him watch once. Normally, such sappy things wouldn't pass through his throat, but this was for the science. How did it go anyway? Something like..."You're like a rose, regardless of thy name."

Juvia stared at him, terrified. "J-Juvia is..."

"Oh? You got that?" he wasn't sure if he should feel more happy or embarrassed.

She shook her head. "No... Juvia is sorry..."

"Hmm..." He could swear from her expressions that she was hearing this, though. "I think your magic is very impressive."

"Really? But Gray-sama's magic is more beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

"Huh? What did Gray-sama say?" She looked confused again.

He pressed his forehead into his hand. "I said your deafness is rather selective."

"Ah," she hung her head. "So it seems."

He looked at the water for a minute. "Listen, Juvia," he hesitated. "It's not some kind of a prolonged joke, is it?"

"What? No..."

"Because if you're doing that to get us even after some of those rude things I might have said to you before... I totally get it. Ha, ha. I deserve it. Okay. Now can we get serious, because I'm starting to lose my nerves here."

"What rude things..." Juvia's eyes got round like plates. "No, Gray-sama... Juvia is not joking, nor would she feel the need to." She hid her face in hands. "She's so sorry," she repeated, her voice muffled. "Her brain is so stupid... And yet Gray-sama still tries to talk to her..."

"No, Juvia, hey... It's okay, sorry, I'm not really angry nor anything," he touched her shoulder and she put her hands down to look at him. "You are not doing this on purpose, are you."

She shook her head, and her eyes seemed sincere enough, and so sad he almost couldn't bear it. She wouldn't be able to fake something like that, or he didn't know her at all.

"It's okay..." He repeated. "We will somehow go around it. Like... Maybe..." He looked left and right to make sure no one is there, and then leaned down and kissed her, barely noticing his jacket flying off somewhere.

Juvia gasped, but didn't try to get away; in fact, she kissed him back, even if very shyly. Her lips were soft and sweet and she smelled like an ocean, and as her warmth encompassed all his body, he wished this whole messed up thing already ended. Only then he would get as much of her as he wanted - and he wanted a lot.

Right now, though, he let her go, and she took a step back, staring at him in confusion.

"G-Gray-sama..." she gasped.

"So," he said. It was going to end now, right? "Did you get it this time?"

"Did Juvia..." She glanced at him apologetically. "Did Juvia have something in her hair or..."

"You think I just pulled something out from your hair?" She kissed him back, for god's sake! How could she not realize what they have just done?

Juvia simply nodded.

"I've had enough of this," he said, catching her wrist and dragging her towards Porlyusica's house.

Juvia tried to protest, but he silenced her with a glance. He was not going to have it: there was clearly something wrong with her, a glitch in her mind, and it got him worried beyond words. And why was it only blocking his efforts? It was so unfair.

"Porlyusica-san!" He knocked decisively on her door. "Porlyusica-san! Please help us!"

The door opened with a crack. "You again?" Porlyusica glanced coldly at Juvia, who was just trying to hide behind his back, then turned to drill some holes in him. "Is there something wrong with your ears too?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Porlyusica-san," he said, "But Juvia here seems to have some nervous breakdown or something. I heard that - "

"_I_ am going to have a nervous breakdown if it will go on like that," Porlyusica interrupted him. "Why can't you just leave her alone? I bet that would calm her nerves instantly. Now off you go."

"No, Porlyusica-san!" he put a foot through the door, so she wouldn't be able to close it. "You don't understand! She doesn't hear things I'm saying and - "

"Oh, and those things you're saying are so important."

That threw him off a bit. "Well, I..."

"I'll tell you something, boy: there's nothing wrong with her." She glanced at Juvia briefly. "Aside from the usual things, I mean. Now goodbye."

"But you should at least examine her, otherwise - "

Porlyusica sighed irately, then grasped his shirt and pulled him inside, slamming the door in front of Juvia.

"What? Wait," He protested. "There's nothing wrong with me. It's Ju-"

"Everything is wrong with you," she said, as she pulled him further into the house. "Sit here," she commanded, pushing him onto the chair. "And for god's sake, where do you think you're throwing that!?"

Gray followed the direction of her gaze. "Oh.. sorry," he mumbled, rushing to take his shirt off her candleholder.

"Why am I getting dragged into this," the woman muttered, getting a second chair for herself. Then she fixed her steel gaze on him. "The way I see it, stupid boy, is that: you reap what you sow."

"I – I what?"

"I don't have whole day for you, so you better focus," she frowned at him. "Have you not refused that silly girl countless times? Have you not ignored her when she was trying to approach you? There. You have it back now."

"How do you know - "

"All Fiore knows it," she sneered, her gaze making him press his back into the chair with all his might. "So what, she doesn't hear what you're saying, now that you're trying so hard to be nice? Such an ungrateful girl, surely something must be wrong with her, mustn't it?"

"Erm... That's not what I..."

"I didn't finish," Porlyusica raised a hand. "You should understand it's only logical for her. I bet she doesn't expect anything from you at this point. Not that at any point it would be reasonable, actually, but well, she's young, so she can err."

"Um... Porlyusica-san... but..."

She scowled, but didn't interrupt him.

"Basically, you're saying it's fate, or karma, or something like that - " he continued.

"Ah, so you're not completely deaf after all."

"So what am I to do?" He looked at her pleadingly. He didn't like it at all – nor did he agree with her assessment of his character – but she could be technically right about the whole thing. It was, after all, the only explanation he had.

"Oh, now you want advice?" She tilted her head. "What am I, your godmother?"

"Please, Porlyusica-san..." He leaned towards her, trying to catch her eye. "I'm really trying... I'll never be rude again. Just, please, if there's any way..."

She snorted. "Actually, there are two ways to go about it, I think," she said finally. "First: balance the bad things with good ones, and just wait, trying to get to her in every way possible. There's a chance you will be heard eventually."

"It sounds like it's gonna be long," he complained. "What is the second way?" Maybe some potion could help? Simple, elegant solution -

"Oh, it's way faster, and much better suited for such an impatient young man,' she said coldly, her eyes scorning him. "Just do nothing. Give up already."

"Porlyusica-san..." How could she suggest such a thing?

"All this _romantic love_ thing, after all," she continued, drawling the words with revulsion, "Is just a glitch on your mind, preventing you from doing real work. Malfunction of reason."

"A... glitch?" he frowned at her.

She nodded. "Think about it. In the end, it serves nothing more than producing more people, and I doubt anyone would need that. Especially."

"Especially from me?" he guessed, resigned.

"Well,_ you _said that."

_So much for the shortcut. _But he wasn't going to give up; this whole strange thing that was between him and Juvia could in no way amount to just that. He would not stop, and he would reach her in the end.

Even if it was just a glitch.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you all for your lovely reviews! <em> _Make sure to let me know what do you think of this one ^^_

_Two more chapters to go; third one should be next Friday. __Meanwhile, stay warm and wear your scarfs._


	3. Chapter 3

"Whoa, Juvia! Where did you get all those flowers from?" Levy looked around her room.

It was true she had a lot of them – they were occupying all her shelves and tables, and some even stood on the floor. "Gray-sama gave them to Juvia for maintenance," she answered. "It seemed that he wouldn't be able to take care of them."

"For maintenance?" Levy shot her a doubtful look.

"Yes," Juvia nodded decisively. What would it be for otherwise? "Here, Levy-san, Juvia found that book she had borrowed."

"Why would he keep so many flowers?" Levy frowned, taking _The Coming Wave_ from her. "And what about this?" She touched a bracelet Juvia was wearing – a string of little butterflies made from shiny ice.

"Oh, this? Juvia found it somewhere."

Levy looked unconvinced. "But... It's made from Gray's magic, I can tell..."

"Ah, well," Juvia shrugged, picking up her bag. "Gray-sama must have dropped it. It seems to Juvia that he is dropping a lot of things lately." She gestured the other girl to the door. "Are you going to the guild, Levy-san?"

She did. Which wasn't very fortunate, since she was giving Juvia a lot of weird looks on the road, and Juvia didn't know how to respond.

It was just another problem on top of her recurring hallucinations. Even though Porlyusica-san said everything was all right with her head, every day Juvia was falling deeper into her daydreams, and, pleasant as they were, they've also created a rift between her and Gray-sama. More and more of her conversations with him blurred into her imagination, and she started to miss the times they were able to talk for real. She stopped even asking him for repeating his words, it was so pointless; she would simply smile and say "yes" instead, and most of times it didn't get her into trouble.

He was already in the guild when they got there, standing in front of the request board, and the wave of joy rushed through her; it was still so good to see him, even if speaking with him was hard. She smiled to him despite all the nervousness she felt around him lately.

"Gray-sama, look what Juvia found," she said, producing his necklace from her pocket and giving it back to him. "Gray-sama should be careful not to lose it again."

His face got longer for a moment. "Erm, Juvia," he said quietly. "I gave it to you as a... Token of my feelings, you know..."

There it was again. "Yes," she said, smiling, and hoping it was a good answer to whatever he just said.

He sighed, putting his necklace back on. "Are you going on a job today?" he asked.

"Juvia is. What about Gray-sama?"

"Can I go with you?"

She blinked. He never asked this before, so probably it was _it_ again. "Yes," she answered with a smile.

"Good," he said, looking at her so attentively it was getting uncomfortable. "Pick whatever you like."

She picked a job and went to register it with Mira – Gray-sama came with her, too, and said something to Mira, then followed her.

"Gray-sama is going on a job, too?" she asked politely.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

They were walking together as far as the train station, and then it turned out he's even boarding the same train.

"Is Gray-sama's job in the same direction as Juvia's?" she asked.

"Juvia, I'm going on a job _with you_," he said.

"Ah, yes," she smiled.

He hesitated, glancing briefly through the window. "Your... Your eyes shine like diamonds, you know."

"Yes." There it was, the wall between them, impermeable.

"Are you saying 'Yes' every time you're not sure what I said?"

She frowned at him, then lowered her head. "It's true..." she admitted. "Juvia is still having this glitch..."

He sighed. "Yeah, me too. Don't worry about that," he said, and it seemed to her as if he took her hand.

* * *

><p>The job wasn't complicated, but tiresome – she needed to get rid of a swarm of goblins around a long abandoned mansion – and took her most of the day. The sun was already setting when she drove out the last of them, and there was no way she could get back to Magnolia before the night. The nearest town had a little hotel, though, so she just went straight there and booked a room.<p>

"You're taking only one room for us?" Gray-sama asked.

Juvia glared at him and shrugged – why would she bother taking another room for a hallucination? And also, couldn't he understand she didn't want him to talk to her in public? She wouldn't want anyone to see her talking to herself.

"Well, okay," he shrugged, too. "If you're fine with it."

Because he had to be a hallucination, she knew ever since she noticed he's following her everywhere. He was also exceptionally polite, and he seemed to flatter her on every occasion – things that the real Gray-sama would rarely do; and of course it wasn't so unusual that she would imagine him by her side, especially on those solitary jobs.

It was only strange that he seemed so vivid – she could touch him, and he didn't disappear for a moment, even when she was fighting. It also looked to her as if he defeated some of the goblins, which was definitely weird. It worried her that she would see something so real, and she wondered briefly if Porlyusica-san was right about her health. Maybe she should consult another doctor? But certainly not today; today, it was too late, and she was too tired, and she wanted a nice, warm shower.

And if the hallucination was already there, and Juvia could do nothing about it, she could as well have some fun with it, right? Just as the things she imagined every day before the sleep, only little more real. No one would ever know, and she deserved it after a job well done – something warm and thrilling to wrap up the day.

So she stepped into the room with a contented sigh, threw her boots into the corner, her cap onto the cupboard, and unclasped the collar of her dress.

"Uhh, sure, don't mind me," Gray-sama said, standing by the window and sipping a soda, his cheeks plainly pinker than before.

"Juvia won't," she smiled, stepping closer and hugging him; he stiffened a bit at first, but quickly relaxed. "Juvia is really tired," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. He was so warm, and his smell instantly made her feel safe and tranquil.

"Yeah, me too." He embraced her gently, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. It wasn't real, she knew, but she wanted it to be. "But are you okay? You seemed little out of it today and – "

"Maybe Juvia was a bit out," she pulled away a bit to look at his face. "But it doesn't matter now, does it."

"Really? You were ignoring me all the day, and I thought..." he hesitated, averting his eyes.

"Surely you know why Juvia did it, Gray-sama," she yawned, picking up her bag and a towel. "Juvia will be back in a minute."

Humming happily, she took a very satisfying shower. She tried imagining Gray-sama beside her, water splashing on his toned chest, his hair getting wet, the steam covering them, but not really – and how embarrassed would she be, if he saw her like that.

But it didn't really work. No matter how she tried, it wasn't as vivid as the visions she had earlier today, not as tangible as the phantom she left in her room. One part of her desperately hoped he would still be there, and another wanted him to disappear and give her peace of mind; he made her think constantly about the real Gray-sama, and she missed him a lot, even if she wouldn't do to him half the things she dared with the hallucination.

Sighing, she put on her soft, light purple gown – her favorite one, very delicate and light – and went back into the room. Her heart skipped a beat - he was still there, leaning against the window sill, and as soon as he glanced at her, his eyes grew wide and he started to choke. She heard a rustle as his jacket landed softly on the floor.

"Uh, Gray-sama," she said, jumping to his side to hit his back - even if he was not real, it would be painful to see him hurt.

"Whoa," he gasped, catching his breath, his face tainted a deep shade of red. "You're _really_ not minding me, are you."

"Juvia... " she glanced aside, her skin prickling as she felt his eyes on her – but it was only in her head, so she fought her need to hide. "Juvia tries not to be irrational, that's all."

"Irrational," he echoed, turning to the window again.

She nodded. "Juvia thinks she should have control over this situation," she said, "Not let it intimidate her."

"I... I wouldn't like to... intimidate you, but – " He massaged his shoulder. "It's just a bit surprising, I guess. Not that I... Not that I mind..."

"Surprising," she frowned, tugging at the rim of her nightgown. Maybe she could play a bit with him? "Does Gray-sama not like it, then?" Gathering her courage, she turned a bit left and right, so he could take a better look.

"Uh..." he pressed his forehead to the window pane, averting his gaze.

Seconds passed, he stayed silent, and she got a little worried. Normally in her daydream he would say something like _Oh yes, I like it very much, _or _Of course, Juvia, you know how I love your body, _and she would blush like mad, and then he would take her in his arms and kiss her and –

"I... um..." he stammered, glancing sideways at her. "Why, you... I thought..."

Weariness washed over her. "If you don't like it, it's okay, too," she said, sitting on the bed - maybe she should just go to sleep instead. "It's enough that Juvia does."

Something flickered in his dark eyes. "No, I – " He came closer and sat on the floor beside the bed, swallowing audibly as his gaze slid down and up her body, causing her to wince. "I like it very much," he said, his voice stifled.

"Really?" she tilted her head. "What do you like so much about it, Gray-sama?"

"It's... It's pretty, and..." His face twisted as if he ate something sour. "You, you're pretty in it..." He threw his shirt towards the door in a lazy curve. "I mean, you're pretty in everything, but..."

Juvia's head suddenly felt light and dizzy – perhaps the day was not lost yet. "It's such a sweet thing for Gray-sama you to say," she whispered, crawling to the edge of the bed on all fours.

"You heard what I've just said?" His eyes fixed on hers. "And you're... Um..."

Juvia reached her hand and twirled his necklace around her wrist; then she pulled him up to his knees and closer to her – so close that heir lips almost touched. "Oh, Juvia hears everything," she whispered, tip of her tongue brushing his mouth.

Gray-sama shuddered. "Really," he said softly. "Then why..."

Juvia pulled the necklace closer, closing the gap between them.

Their lips touched only briefly, but she could swear that when they met, she heard the beat of his heart, _one, two, three_. She trembled when his hands slided around her waist, frail fabric of her nightgown hardly creating any barrier. His touch seemed so warm on her skin, she could as well just melt.

But not yet. She pulled away and let the necklace go.

"You were saying something, Gray-sama?" she asked, licking her lips.

His eyes glimmered in the faint light. "I... You said you heard everything," he said quietly. "You mean, like really everything?" His cheeks turned into deeper shade of red and his gaze flew sideways. "I... I mean, you know, some of those things were – "

"It doesn't matter so much," she said.

"But then, if you heard everything, why did you..." he frowned at her. "You know, those things you – "

Juvia shook her head. What was the point of this? She just wanted him to be near. "Just come here, Gray-sama," she said, moving backwards to make more place for him.

He blinked a few times, but finally sat cautiously at the very edge of the bed.

"Juvia meant here." She caught his arm and pulled him closer, and he simply followed her movement. Juvia sighed. He seemed rather stunned, even though normally he would have swept her in his arms long ago.

"But, I don't understand..." he said, even as she pressed her forehead to his and ran her fingers through his hair. "Are you sure you haven't hit your head when we were fighting with those goblins, or – "

"Juvia is sure." She looked him straight in the eyes. "Although Gray-sama does seem a little weird today," she said, leaning down to kiss his neck.

"_I _seem weird? Ah, Juvia, wait, what are you doing?" He pushed her gently away from him – how frustrating, and just when she started to think how much she liked the taste of his skin.

Juvia sat up and looked at him with disapproval. "See, that's what Juvia meant," she said. "Gray-sama is weird. Juvia just wants to have some fun. What is Gray-sama's problem with it?"

"...Fun?" He raised a brow.

"Yes!"

He stared at her, motionless, and she stared back.

"Fun," he repeated finally, his fingers clenching on the bedsheets. "Yeah, okay." He crawled over to her and kissed her.

He was very gentle at first, but Juvia pulled him closer and licked his lower lip, deepening the kiss. Gray-sama gave out a little muffled sound and pushed her flat to the bed, finally kissing her for real – just as passionately as usual. It was different than usual though, as she could feel his smell, dizzying, and she could taste him, too, as much as she wanted. He was so warm, she thought, and so much more substantial – his weight pressed her into the bed as he leaned lower onto her – and she had never imagined before that he would lick her tongue like that, but all of it served only to excite her more.

"Mmh," she sighed, as he finally pulled away, panting slightly. "Juvia loves Gray-sama so much..."

He tensed in her arms, his face confused again.

"I..." he breathed, his eyes sliding sideways. "I... kind of – "

Why was he hesitating? "You should tell Juvia you love her too, Gray-sama," she instructed.

His face went from red to pale to red again. "I... I, I..." He sighed, hiding his face in her shoulder. "I can't. Sorry..."

Juvia slowly stroke his back. He always told her that he loved her in her reveries, so why he couldn't now? She wanted to hear it, she felt so alone; the more this silly daydream stayed beside her, the more she couldn't prevent herself to think how the real Gray-sama wasn't.

"Could you at least..." She felt her cheeks getting warmer – some words were hard for her to say, too. "Could you lick Juvia once more like that..."

Gray-sama smiled weakly and embraced her tighter. "Mhn," she sighed, as he kissed her deeply and her body arched on its own volition. "Juvia really likes it..." she whispered, making mess of his hair, which somehow didn't want to stay in perfect order this time. Something flickered in his darkened eyes and he licked her more, grinding against her.

"Aw!" she gasped, pushing him away when her hipbone thrust against the buckle of his belt. "Now that hurt."

"Um, sorry, Juvia," he rolled a bit to the side and massaged his nape, catching his breath. "Sorry."

"It's all right," she said, looking deep into his concerned eyes. But why would she imagine something painful like that? And all those other weird things... "It's just... You seem so real today, Gray-sama."

"Real?" he frowned at her. "Like on other days I wasn't?"

Juvia nodded.

"Yeah, okay," he said after a while of bewildered glares. "I have no idea what are you talking about, but I _am_ real, you know."

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama, but you're not," she said softly. "You're just Juvia's imagination."

"A-ha. Sure. If it excites you, or something," he said. "But you do know that, like really really, I am real, right?"

"Stop it, Gray-sama," she smiled. "You're not, but it doesn't matter now. Can we get back to – "

"We can't," Gray-sama sat up. "Not until we get this straight. I am real, Juvia. Why can't you understand..." He pressed a hand to his forehead.

Something in his face – desperation in his eyes, and something like yearning, she thought – made her body stiffen.

"No," she said. "No, this cannot be."

He shook his head. "Sorry..." he whispered, touching her, and a layer of bright ice spread along her arm, little cool needles pricking her skin.

"Aw!" she squealed, surprised. It was real – the pain was real, the ice was real, and he, he was –

"I'm sorry," he said, waving his hand and causing the ice to disappear. "I just couldn't think about any other way to convince you."

"But... But Gray-sama just kissed Juvia!" she protested, sitting up and pulling the rim of her nightgown down to cover her thighs, then the straps up to cover her cleavage. "Many times!"

"Yeah, listen – "

"And he... And she!" Her stomach tied itself in a knot and she covered her mouth in horror. "She..!"

"Ju – "

Juvia squealed, shoved his arm aside and jumped to the floor with a loud _thud._

" -via..."

And even when the forgiving darkness covered her, she could still hear his voice.

"...Did you just hide under the bed?"

* * *

><p><em>Thanks everyone for your reviews! You're all so kind and make me happy ^^ But if you don't like where it went, still tell me - it's always interesting to hear your opinions :)<em>

_Sorry that it took me so long! There's one part more, but I don't know if I'll manage to finish it next week. We'll see ^^_


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